It is to be understood that machines of this general character, which are in wide use today for recycling heavy wood products particularly, are of a portable nature in the sense that they can be drawn by tractors or may be self-propelled, can weigh up to 100,000 pounds, and may be up to 50 feet in overall length. Normally such machines, which employ heavy knifed hammers to demolish the wood, are powered by heavy duty diesel engines providing as much as 800-1,000 horsepower.
The present wood processing system incorporates a rotary drum having a plurality of peripherally supported comminuting members or hammers. Both uphill and downhill rotors are known and in use, and the machine depicted is an uphill rotor machine in which the rotor moves the material upwardly with respect to the horizontal feed of the material. An anvil is supported near the upper end of the machine just upstream of a grating system which facilitates easy maintenance and the ready changing of grates to provide a considerable selection of grate opening sizes and configurations. The material feed system includes a compression feed drum associated with a horizontal conveyor at the entrance to the comminuting drum or rotor and both are driven in a direction to move material to the comminuting drum. The present invention is concerned with various improvements in machines of this character. One of these involves the use of the downwardly swinging compression feed roll to facilitate upward swinging movement of the anvil and upper grate retainer member for maintenance and clearing purposes.
Another improvement is concerned with utilizing a comminuting drum shaft release system which prevents foreign objects, such as heavy metal bolts and fragments from damaging the machine. Still another improvement is concerned with the general construction of the machine including the stacked mounting of the comminuting drum drive shaft and the pivot shaft for the compression feed roll, and a top wall containment deflector plate which is separate from the compression feed roll assembly and pivots with the anvil.
A prime object of the present invention is to provide a rugged heavy duty machine, which can be economically operated at chosen locations, which might be at a landfill, or in the field at a demolition site.
A further object of the invention is to provide a safer machine which confines the material and does not throw it out in the manner that so-called horizontal tub grinders do.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine which is particularly designed to handle heavy waste wood material in an effective manner, while, at the same time, being so constructed as to be capable of being economically manufactured and sold at an economically attractive price.
Other object and advantages of the invention will become apparent with reference to the accompanying drawings and the accompanying descriptive matter.